Rock in Rio: Max de Castro does it well

ROCK CITY, 9:15 p.m. — São Paulo-based musician Max de Castro had already played a few shows in Rio, but his real debut happened today at the Brazil Tent. There was much expectation to whether the songwriter would be as good on stage as he is on record – the self-produced Samba Raro has seduced local and foreign critics, as well as musicians like Ed Motta and Lobão. Max is not as charismatic as his brother, Wilson Simoninha, but he did his best to satisfy the local spectators. Simoninha and Paulinho Moska, two of the previous acts, had already done homage to Jorge Ben Jor, and so did Max, performing Que Maravilha and Mas Que Nada with very original arrangements. In numbers like Samba Raro and Pra Você Lembrar, he proves to be a one-of-a-kind songwriter. By the end of the set, de Castro made an opportune homage to O Rappa’s drummer Marcelo Yuka (seriously injured during an ill-fated robbery attempt), singing the band’s smashing hit, A Minha Alma (A Paz Que Eu Não Quero).